Padlocks on the Secret Bridge
by EchoResonance
Summary: "Why are all those padlocks on the bridge?" * "People come to these bridges from all over your world, and they click a lock wherever it'll fit, and when they lock it up, they feel like they're locking away some secret as well. Some people call them Secret Bridges." Happy Valentine's Day, Rose Tyler


_**Nine's run was far too short, so I've decided to make plenty of fanfiction to compensate**_

"D'you know…" said Rose slowly, looking around. "I think it's Valentine's Day."

The Doctor followed her gaze to a shop window that was so plastered with red and pink hearts and ribbons that you couldn't see inside. Up and down the street, too, were more of these bright, frilly decorations. Every shop window boasted large red ribbons and bows, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and photographs of happy couples smiling for no apparent reason.

"Looks like it, yeah," the Doctor agreed, smiling his goofy smile. "What d'you wanna do then?"

Rose looked around, her eyes sparkling and her lips curving into a sweet smile as her gaze met the Doctor's. She smiled up at him and wrapped her hands around his elbow, her little fingers rubbing smoothly against the black leather.

"I dunno, do I?" she laughed. "I've never been to Venice before! I wasn't even sure they celebrated Valentine's Day!"

"Who doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day?" the Doctor demanded, then he chuckled and began to lead Rose down the narrow cobblestone street.

People milled back and forth, dogs trailing after a fair few of them. As Rose let the Doctor wind her through the crowds, a small child ran by, laughing merrily as a little terrier ran about his ankles. However, the young boy accidentally tripped over the dog's small black body and crashed to the stone street, where he proceeded to sit up and cry. The dog came over to lick his face in apology, but the boy kept crying, and Rose tugged on the Doctor's arm to pull him to a halt. He glanced around to see what the problem was, then gave Rose an understanding but slightly exasperated look.

"Oh, go on then, if you must," he said, shooing her on.

With his encouragement, Rose hurried to the boy's side and knelt down, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He whipped around in surprise, but then reached out and clung to Rose's waist, his arms almost reaching around her middle but not quite making it all the way. The dog barked and wagged her tail happily, nosing Rose's hands where they rested on the boy's shoulders. Gently she managed to pull him back and, without a word, wiped away his tears. The boy giggled, and Rose smiled back at him. This apparently was all the little child needed to recover from the shock of his fall, because he was on his feet in the next instant, and was back to romping around with the terrier, leaving Rose to laugh joyfully at the child's carefree play. She glanced around, and saw a couple that much resembled the boy sitting at a café table, watching her cautiously. She waved, and they nodded back.

The Doctor watched this whole scene play out while he stood out of the way against a building, and something inside him softened considerably. It wasn't often he could see such a random act of kindness from any race, let alone the humans, as the one Rose had just performed for a complete stranger. Humans always had some ulterior motive for the things they did: money, recognition, personal gain. Not Rose, though. Rose was completely different. She was the kind of person that would go to a fallen child, pick him up, dust him off, and send him back to his games without even knowing his name, and she did it just because she didn't want the child to be sad. She saw an opportunity to help a person, and it didn't matter that it was a total stranger, because that was more than enough for her. That was one of the many, many reasons that the Doctor kept her around: she was kind. So very, very kind, even to someone like him, who had caused more pain and failed more people than should be possible.

"Sorry about that," she said, skipping up to him.

"Don't apologize," he told her, brushing a bit of her hair out of her face. "That was a sweet thing you did."

She blushed just a little at his touch, but smiled as brightly as ever and took hold of his hand, not minding in the slightest how it had grown rough and calloused but rather enjoying the rough skin of his palm.

"You were leadin' me somewhere, weren't you?" she prompted when he continued to just look at her like she were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, although that was hardly the case. To the man that had seen countless worlds and incredibly advanced races, she was just another human. Rose knew that, but still, she couldn't help but feel that the Doctor thought she was something really special when he looked at her like that. His eyes rarely lit up so, although that could have been the blazing Italian sun playing tricks on her.

"Was I?" said the Doctor vaguely. Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I think you were," she amended. "Can't read your mind, so I dunno for sure."

The Doctor jerked like he was snapping out of a trance and looked around.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed. "I was! Come on, then, this way!"

With a carefree laugh, Rose allowed herself to be towed along by the Doctor, his hand grasping hers tightly so as not to lose her in the masses. As they scurried along, smiling and laughing like two giddy school children, Rose tried to take in everything around her; the high, arching doorways, the tall gothic cathedrals, the boat-filled canals. Everything seemed so foreign to her, for some strange reason, despite the fact that she had seen stranger things than the famous Sinking City from her very own world. There was just something about the city that made her feel…warm. That was really the only explanation. She felt warm and light and incredibly connected to everything around her, from the brown cobblestone street to the narrow alleyways full of colorfully dressed people to the bridges teeming with activity. It was like the city itself was alive, that it could speak with a voice of its own through the ancient stone walls whispers of secrets long forgotten. Interesting, really, that the most mysterious place she'd visited was one she could have reached with a passport and a little bit of quid on a rickety old plane, but then traveling with the Doctor was not generally something you could predict.

"Hey, Doctor," said Rose, looking at the railing of what must have been the hundredth bridge the two of them had crossed.

"Yeah?" he answered, slowing down and following her gaze.

"Why are all those padlocks on the bridge?" she wondered.

There were indeed a lot of locks, all linked to the bridge and some linked to each other where there hadn't been room. They were all in different shapes and different sizes, and there were a great many colors as well. There were also standard issue padlocks—there were great masses of those in particular—but even those had their own unique qualities. Most had been written on in permanent marker; names, initials, dates. There were so many locks on the bridge that she couldn't even see the actual railing, and she recalled seeing padlocks on other bridges as well. She figured that someone would've come by to take them down—something about preserving the beauty of the city—but some locks appeared to have been in place for years, maybe even decades.

The Doctor smiled and pulled Rose to the side, crouching down and reaching out to touch a group of locks. There was an obnoxiously large, red lock in the shape of a heart that had the letters A.P. & R.P. scratched into the back, and a small, average lock hooked onto that one that had a date scribbled on it in black sharpie, but it had mostly been worn off. The Doctor let the clump drop, and then reached out to touch another section. This was a much larger version of the standard padlock, and carved clumsily into its face were the initials B.W. On the back was the company information—Wolfe Corporation.

"Some people call these Secret Bridges," said the Doctor, straightening up and tugging Rose closer to his side. "D'you have any idea why?"

Rose shook her head. "Not a clue."

The Doctor smiled and squeezed her hand, looking down at the rows and clumps of locks.

"People from all over the world come to Venice," he said. "Venice, France, all the well-known European cities, and almost all of them come for these bridges. Sometimes they're alone, sometimes they're with the most important person in the world—to them, at least. But they all come to these bridges, and they click a lock wherever it'll fit, and when they lock it up, they feel like they're locking away some secret as well. Something they don't want anyone to know, and they lock it up on these bridges because it makes them feel safer. Some make wishes as they lock up, though, and they keep the key so that, when their wish comes true, they can come back and remove the lock."

"If they can find it," Rose said with a laugh, looking at the sea of metal boxes.

"If they can find it," the Doctor agreed. "But most people, they throw the key into the river or canal below, and as the key sinks to the bottom, so does their secret."

He nudged her with his elbow then, and pointed off to her left. She followed his gesture, and saw a young couple crouching at a relatively clear space in the railing. As she watched them, they looked at each other with beaming smiles, and together they clicked a lock into place on the wire railing. Then, still together, they rose to their feet, and turned their backs to the rail. But, instead of walking away, their clasped hands opened, and they threw something small and silver over their shoulders. Rose watched in fascination as the key fell with a miniscule _splash_ into the canal, and stared at it long after it had vanished, as if wanting to watch it drift to the bottom. When she finally looked back around, the couple had gone, but the Doctor was still smiling at her indulgently.

"That's beautiful," she said after a moment. "That's incredible."

"I know," the Doctor agreed. "I love the silly little things you humans do, you're such fascinating creatures."

"Silly little things?" Rose repeated, grinning. "This ain't so silly, Doctor. It's…like closure, I guess. If someone needs a bit of superstition in order to feel comfortable with leaving something behind, so be it. I think it's sweet."

"Yeah, well, you would," the Doctor laughed, then tugged on her hand. "Well, come on. Want to get there while we're still young, don't we?"

"That ship sailed a while back for you though, didn't it?" Rose laughed, but consented to continuing on.

"So what if it did?" he retorted. "I look good for my age, don't I?"

"Yeah, I s'pose you do," Rose acknowledged with a teasing smile. He glanced around at her, his brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, you _suppose_?" he wondered, sounding mildly wounded. Rose laughed and didn't answer, leaving him to brood as he dragged her along.

"So where are we going then, Doctor?" asked Rose.

"You'll see when I find it," said the Doctor, looking around. "Blazes, it's hot out here."

"Well maybe you shouldn't wear that leather jacket everywhere," Rose reasoned.

He frowned back at her and touched his jacket with his free hand.

"I like this jacket," he argued.

"Yeah, and I like my heels, but you don't see me wearing them out and about in a place like this," Rose pointed out. "I'd break an ankle with all this walking."

"But those are shoes," the Doctor protested. "This is my jacket. I like my jacket, it's—oh, there it is!"

Rose frowned for a moment, caught off-guard by the Doctor's abrupt change in direction as he all but yanked her to the inside of the street. Glancing up, Rose saw a well-painted but sun-faded sign that read _GELATO_.

"Ever had it?" the Doctor asked her—he was practically bouncing in his excitement. Rose shook her head.

"No, it's not exactly a staple in Cardiff," she pointed out. "Always wanted to, though."

"Well, now's your chance," he grinned. "Pick any flavor you want. The stuff's incredible."

"Oh yeah?" said Rose with raised eyebrows.

The Doctor nodded, and she moved to look at the different flavor options. There were some that were normal, everyday ice cream flavors—strawberry, chocolate, pistachio, mango—but there were also ones that she hadn't heard of before. There was a tub of blue gelato that had a sign with some word that she couldn't pronounce, and there was another one labeled _kiwi_, and she couldn't recall the last time she'd heard of kiwi ice cream.

While she busied herself inspecting the flavors, the Doctor watched over her, a brilliant smile splitting his face. He loved watching Rose. Just watching her. The way she smiled to herself, and then turned to look at him randomly as though to check whether or not he was still there, and then smiled even wider when her eyes met his; he loved that. He loved that she was so happy with just the smallest things he could do for her, and he loved that she got so excited over something as simple as gelato. Really, though, it was simpler than that. Although he knew he shouldn't, although he knew it couldn't work because of what he was, he had no qualms about admitting—to himself at least—that he loved this little blond human.

Eventually Rose settled for a chocolate-peanut-butter gelato, and the Doctor paid for it with Euros from who-knows-where, and they walked off, back down the crowded streets, stopping outside shops and peering in through the windows. Rose thoroughly enjoyed her gelato, finding it much creamier and much more satisfying than ice cream, and she even coaxed the Doctor into trying some of it, although chocolate wasn't really his favorite. When she had nearly finished it, and they were nearly back at the TARDIS, the Doctor pointed out across the main canal, then wrapped his hand around hers—the one still holding the cone of gelato—and pushed it into her nose. Oh, the noise she made was _priceless_, and the slap was totally worth it.

"You _arse_!" she said, but she was laughing too hard for her anger to be even remotely believable. "I can't believe—well, yeah, actually I _can_!"

The Doctor was still laughing when they reached the TARDIS, but he did get a clean towel for Rose to wipe her face off with once they were inside. She took it, and once she had cleaned the gelato out of her nostrils, she tossed it unceremoniously back at him, hoping the towel would land on his face. Unfortunately, he caught it, and tossed it into some dark corner before coming to stand beside her. She shifted away, crossing her arms and feigning a pout, but he could see how hard she was trying not to laugh.

"Oh, come on," he whined, trying to pry her hands away from her elbows, but she didn't budge, and she looked away resolutely. "You can't be mad at me."

"Oh, can't I?" she responded immediately, then pressed her lips together, and looked at the ceiling, her cheeks flushing with color.

"No, you can't," he said, and reached inside his jacket.

"Why's that?" she asked, glancing at his vanished hand.

"Because," he answered, and he pulled something out and held it in the palm of his hand. "I can't very well lock this on my own—I'll look stupid."

"When did you—" Rose exclaimed in shock, but the Doctor's only response was to wink.

Rose couldn't fight her smile any longer upon seeing the small metal padlock, or the key stuck in the slot. There was already a tasteful carving in the face, done in very neat hand: _R.T & T.D._

"Who's _T.D._?" Rose asked in mock curiosity, but her heart had jumped in her chest.

"Just some bloke," the Doctor shrugged, but he smiled and offered Rose his empty hand. "Come on then, Miss Rose Tyler. We've got an appointment with a fence."

Laughing more than ever, Rose took his offered hand and practically skipped out of the TARDIS with him, going to the first bridge they could find and searching for an empty spot. It took some searching, but Rose finally managed to shift enough locks around to make a small bit of room for theirs.

"How did you manage that engraving?" Rose wondered. "Pretty sure that's not standard issue."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Are you forgetting that I'm a Time Lord?"

Rose smiled and looked back at the small lock in her hands. "What exactly is it that we're locking away, Doctor?"

He reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers. "Everything. Everything we've done up til now. We'll lock it away right here, so that it'll never be lost."

"How would what we've done be lost?" Rose wondered. The Doctor smiled at her, and slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"You're over thinking it, Rose," he said softly. "I just thought it's something you might want to do. Y'know, leave your own little mark in Venice, Italy."

Rose smiled and leaned into him. The sun was low in the sky, but she didn't feel rushed for time. She had all the time in the world, and she'd spend every second she could with this incredible man kneeling beside her on a bridge in Venice.

"Shall we?" she prompted.

Still grinning, the Doctor took the lock and looped it through the railing. Rose reached out and, covering his fingers with hers, clicked the lock shut—the sound of it was lost amidst the music and laughter filling the air. The Doctor took the key from the lock, and Rose touched her hand with his and together, they threw the key overboard, into the dark water, just before a gondola passed by. For a moment, the two just stood there as though in a daze, hand in hand, watching the spot where the key had vanished. They only came to their senses when a particularly noisy group of tourists jostled past, one of them accidentally stepping on Rose's foot.

"We should get back…" she said quietly.

"Mm, I s'pose so," the Doctor nodded.

Slowly they began to meander towards the TARDIS, breathing in the lively atmosphere of Venice as the sun sank below the horizon, and the city became more active than ever. They would probably never return to that little spot, and the odds were high that nobody would ever notice their lock among the thousands that decorated Venice, but as they left, both Rose and the Doctor felt just a little bit lighter for having left behind that little reminder that they had been there, together.

Just before they took off to some other new world, the Doctor pulled Rose into a tight embrace, and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, his thumb stroking her shoulder.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rose Tyler," he murmured softly.


End file.
